Winners' advice: how to put together an artistic team photoshoot

Putting together an award-winning photoshoot can be challenging, but working as part of an artistic team entails delegation, planning and understanding as well as the usual considerations for hair, styling and make-up.

The Rush Artistic Team won HJ's Artistic Team of the Year at the 2010 British Hairdressing Awards - here we speak to those responsible for the collection.

"The idea for our collection was to create ergonomic shapes with strong, rounded silhouettes that are fluid with lots of curved lines. It is our interpretation of classic beauty that also combines futuristic femininity. This particular look was achieved by using hair padding through the middle section of the hair. The outer lengths were then plaited over the top of the padding and the front section was flicked back using a round brush." 

"The styling for this image was chosen to reflect the strong shape of the hair, while retaining the femininity. The black outfit delicately highlighted with dashes of bright white works well in the monochrome image. The image portrays the strength of feminine beauty in a contemporary form."

"Nude make-up was chosen to minimise distraction from the hair. Using a matte foundation on the skin gives a flawless finish, which looks gentle against the strong black and white of the clothes. Although the eyes are hidden in this shot, dark alluring and smoky colours were used to add to the dramatic feeling of the shoot."

"This strong image takes the concept of sculptural to a whole new level. The clever shape and intricate detailing is both fierce and feminine, making for a powerful combination."